Month: March 2017

“Some people, if they have authority, they’re going to abuse it. That was the biggest thing I needed to know. I had to know that no matter if you’re doing everything right; if you’re doing your best; that, guess what? Sometimes you may not get the result you want. That doesn’t mean you quit.” -Romeo Miller

Things continue to be “interesting” to say the least. SMH! I have a bunch of posts that I’m backed up on that I will be posting soon. Before I became homeless, I always had great empathy for people who didn’t have the basic necessity of a home. However, I could never fathom that people living in the homeless shelter system experience some of things that I’m experiencing now. This system is extremely broken and abusive, I only hope that it isn’t irreparably so.

Due to the known dangers of second-hand smoke, New York City has enacted laws to combat it. New York City’s Smoke-Free Air Act provides remedies for people who are exposed to second-hand smoke in their living quarters.

According to New York Tenants’ Guide To Smoke-Free Housing, in the event of exposure to second-hand smoke: “Possible legal claims include claims for negligence, trespass, breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment, nuisance, and violation of the warranty of habitability. If the exposure to secondhand smoke forced you to move out of your apartment, you may also have a claim for constructive eviction.”

If you inform shelter administrators that you went on a job interview, expect to be asked to show proof.

I informed my shelter administrator that I went on a job interview. My subsequent Independent Living Plan (ILP), a document shelter residents are expected to sign on a bimonthly basis, said that I had to show proof that I went on the interview. How exactly am I supposed to do that?

How do you show proof that you attended a job interview? Short of having a camera crew filming the actual interview, how do you prove you were there? Do you make an abnormal request to the interviewer to write a letter stating that you attended the interview? Good luck on getting the job after making that kind of peculiar request.

Hypothetically speaking, even if you do get a letter or some kind of document stating that you attended the interview, how you the administrators verify the document’s authenticity? Would they call the establishment you interviewed with in order to verify you were there? Again, good luck with getting the job after a shelter administrator inquiries about your whereabouts like you’re a parolee.

I can’t quite understand the reasoning behind attempting to implement protocols like this. Yet, there are people holed up in their room doing drugs morning, noon, and night. Who is “verifying” their activities?

I desperately need affordable housing now! Being in this system, which is rife with red tape, is detrimental in so many ways. Where is a “housing specialist” when you need one?